


Sad Machine

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Musical May [11]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Music, James is Penny's Father, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad, Sad Ending, Semi-Canon Compliant, Spoilers for Volumes 1-4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 23:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10978053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: Who survived?Somebody new?Anyone else but you?Unknown to the world, James Ironwood has a daughter. When she is on the verge of death, he has a chance to save her.But the results are not as desirable as he'd like them to be, and he must now live on with the consequences as his heart slowly crumbles away.





	Sad Machine

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the wait. Had to rewrite some of this.  
> Inspired by "Sad Machine" by Porter Robinson

_Unknown to the world, James Ironwood has a family._

_Unknown to the world, James Ironwood is a single father._

_Unknown to those around him, James Ironwood has a daughter. A sweet young girl no older than seventeen named Penelope. Her hair is a lovely ginger hue, curly and tied back with a soft pink ribbon._

_Her eyes greener than the Emerald Forest and freckles all across her cheeks. She is strong, swift, and incredibly curious. And also a terrible liar, getting the hiccups due to nerves when she finds herself on the verge of not telling the truth._

_For years, James raises her as best he can._

_He doesn't talk about her at work to his coworkers. He keeps her existence a secret to prevent any harm coming to her._

_Harm that comes from your father being General, Headmaster, and High Council member._

_But growing up, she hears stories of his military expeditions. Of his team back at Atlas, the fights against Grimm and criminals alike. James Ironwood is her hero. She wants to be just like her father._

_She wants to be a hunter like him._

_And so she enrolls in combat school when she came of age. Wanting to expand her knowledge, she heads off to Shade with her father's blessing._

_"I'm going to be a hero," she tells him. "I'm going to save the world."_

_"I know you will," James chuckles. "Be safe my dear. I love you."_

_"I love you too father," Penelope said._

_She calls every night after leaving home, letting him know everything that has happened, telling him about her classes, her training, her team. She isn't made leader, but he is proud of her all the same._

_He is so proud of her._

_Every night he looks at her photograph as they talk, admiring the spark in her bright spring green eyes._

_She is so much like her mother, Gods rest her soul._

_Sometimes James wonders if his precious angel carried part of her spirit in her. He hoped that was true, so that way Penelope would always be protected while they were thousands of miles apart._

 

o0()0o

 

That hope is shattered halfway through his dear daughter's final year at Shade.

James never does get a straight answer as to what exactly happened. According to the reports, the teams had been called to inspect a possible settlement not too far from a Schnee Dust Company mine.

Rumors had it that there were species of Grimm never before seen by anyone.

Her team had offered to go help investigate.

There was indeed a new type of Grimm. Grimm with eight legs, several large eyes, and pincers that would cut even the strongest metal currently in use by the world. Showing it to those who risk life and limb to study the creature had given it the designation name of Cavatica.

It was a Cavatica that had attempted to take his precious Penelope away.

And now she lays there in a hospital bed back home, catatonic, wrapped in layers upon layers of bandages, her breathing controlled by machines and tubing. She's weak, and fading with every breath.

There was nothing that the doctors could do to save her right now. There wasn't enough information. The technology isn't advanced enough.

At the very least, the military has a solution for this.

They've been experimenting for years on Aura and its effects. If there were ways to capture it, moving it from vessel to vessel. There had been no successful tests yet, but James doesn't care about that.

All he wants is his little girl to live.

James calls in Dr. Polendina, the head of research in the military. They have Penelope transferred into one of the newest models of stasis pods, and while she waits there, frozen in time, the General and the Doctor proceed in creating a body for her, giving it the designation P.E.N.N.Y. #01.

The robot has curly ginger hair, vibrant green eyes, and freckles all across her cheeks.

Just before finishing the construction, James ties the ginger hair on the robot's head back with a soft pink ribbon.

_It looks exactly like her now._

They proceed to place the robotic body into the other pod right next to Penelope, praying that this would work. James and Polendina enter in the commands, and begin to activate the machine. Slowly, it whirls to life, the tubing and wires connecting the pods glowing with the same vibrant green James has come to know so well.

And that is when the screaming started.

P.E.N.N.Y. #01 begins to scream, a synthesized garble of voice clips and static that sounds almost like Penelope. It takes everything James has not to jump to her side and rip the machine apart to rescue her.

Soon, the voice begins to fade.

The machine cools down.

The heart-rate monitor on Penelope's pod goes flat, and the one on the robot's begins to light up.

_It worked._

Everyone rushes forward, and James opens the pod, catching the machine girl as she falls forward.

"Penelope!" he calls. "Penelope, are you there? Wake up!"

It takes a moment, but there's the whirring sound coming from the eyes as they open and slowly adjust to the light. She looks around, groaning softly as she becomes used to her new form.

"Penelope," James whispers.

"Um," she mumbles. "Who is...Penelope? And who are you?"

A piece of James Ironwood dies that day.

 

o0()0o

 

James doesn't want to interact with her.

He buries himself in his work, trying to keep himself distracted. He has so many responsibilities now. With the Aura Transfer a success, they need to prepare for the next phase of the project. Penelope- no, not Penelope, Penny. Penny has to be trained in combat. She needs to rediscover her Semblance. James wonders if it'll be the exact same as...

He brushes the thought aside, and continues to distance himself from her.

It isn't until several weeks later, when he has to talk to Polendina over finances and expenditures, that he ends up finally seeing her again.

She sits there asleep in the lab, her body hooked up to a charger. Unmoving, not breathing, an in complete peace.

"What is this?" James asks.

"She hasn't woken since you stopped visiting," Polendina explains. "I may be her father on record, but she won't respond to me. Can you try to wake her?"

"I don't-"

"James, she's the first of her kind. Even if you don't want anything to do with Penny, we need her to wake up for research purposes. Please."

James glares at him, holding back the urge to throw him across the room. He wonders how Polendina could be so cruel, until he gets a better look at him. The older gentleman has bags under his eyes, his hair is oily and unkempt, and he has a permanent expression of worry on his face. Polendina must have been working for days on end to try and wake the sleeping angel.

But she doesn't wake for Polendina.

With a sigh of defeat, James walks over to Penny, placing his left hand on her shoulder.

"Penel-," he starts, only to correct himself. "Penny...wake up, Penny."

There's the sound of electricity, and the young girl's eyes slowly open. She smiles, and James feels another part of his soul turning to dust.

How many times had he seen that face when she woke?

"Hello, Mr. Ironwood," she greets sleepily. "Have you come to play with me?"

James' right hand clenches into a first, and he takes a deep breath to steady himself. "Of course, Penny. We can play once I finish work. You and me, and Dr. Polendina."

"That would be wonderful," she yawns, stretching her arms as she looked to the doctor. "Right father?"

"Of course," Polendina agrees, a broken smile on his face as he glances to the General. "If you'd like, James, we can finish our business in my main office."

"That sounds good," James mutters, proceeding to follow him out of the monochromatic laboratory. He feels the urge to cry tugging at his heart.

He buries the urge, along with everything else.

"She seems to recognize you as someone important," Polendina observes. "We'll need you to be here more often if we're going to keep her going."

"I don't want to," James whispers, his voice wavering.

"I know you don't. But her existence depends entirely on you." Polendina's soft green eyes look over the General, glowing sympathetically in the gentle blue of the holo-screens along the walls. "You don't need to see her as your daughter if it hurts too much...a niece, perhaps? Or a student? Whatever you need to do to ease the pain...and if there's anything I can do to help with that, I will."

James mulls over the words of the kind Doctor for a minute, blue eyes darting over his shoulder back in Penny's direction.

"I suppose," he sighs, "I suppose a family friend? Would that suffice?"

"If that's what you need, that'll more than suffice."

"Okay. Thank you."

They finish the paperwork quickly so they can return to Penny. When they see her, she's unhooked from the charging station and sitting at the table rushing through storybooks that had been left out.

She reads them, tosses them aside, and proceeds to pick up another one until she stops on the last book in the pile.

It's a book James knows by memory.

_It was her favorite._

"Violet's Garden," Penny mutters. "I think I'll read this one slowly."

"Would you like me to read to you?" James offers instinctively, and he can't help the smile on his face when Penny looks at him in excitement.

"Yes please!" she begs. "Let's read it together!"

"Okay," he chuckles, having a seat beside her.

They read for the rest of the afternoon, and when Penny begins to yawn and exude a feeling of fatigue, James carries her back to her charging station. Looking at it when it was empty, James can't help but feel it looks incredibly uncomfortable.

He makes a note to ask Polendina to make one that resembles a normal bed.

 

o0()0o

 

Penny is learning how to fight.

At first, it is hard. She doesn't quite find it in her to fight the training Knights. She had no trouble with targets. Her swords are quick to slice, and her strength is unmatched. James is impressed with her ability to manipulate the blades and is caught completely off guard when she shoots her laser for the first time.

But in combat, she is hesitant. She doesn't want to battle. She doesn't understand why she has to fight. Every training session is getting harder and harder to get through.

Until one day, Penny refuses to head to the testing room, and locks herself in a storage closet that no one uses.

The entire building shuts down, and everyone is searching for Penny Polendina. The Doctor is pacing back and forth, muttering to himself and wondering if he had been too hard on her to get her to practice. The other staff members wonder if Penny is starting to go haywire.

Everyone searches.

It's James who finds her.

He doesn't force the door open. He just knocks, waiting for a reply. "Penny-"

 _"Go away,"_ she whimpers.

"Is everything okay?"

_"Yes. Everything is fine-hic!"_

James' eyes widen and his muscles tense. He knows what that slight hiccup was. "You're lying."

_"No I'm not-hic! I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it-hic!"_

"That's fine," he sighs, sliding to the floor and bringing his knees up to his chest. "I'll wait until you're ready."

There's a long pause. James doesn't move from his place. He looks around, noticing how secluded this particular closet is. It's in a corner on the third floor of the research building, a floor mostly meant for keeping paperwork to be transferred to computers. There's plenty of places to hide.

"I take it you like coming here?" James says softly.

 _"Yes,"_ Penny replies. _"It's quiet here. And I'm not asked to fight while being watched."_

"You don't like fighting, do you?"

_"Not really. I prefer helping father with his paperwork, and reading stories, and talking with you...I do not understand why it is I must fight."_

James feels his heart and soul breaking once more. He knows why she has to fight. But he can't tell her the truth. He knows it'll break her.

_"Why do I have to fight, Mr. Ironwood?"_

James ponders how to respond for a moment, before shakily saying, "You're going to be a hero, Penny...You're going to save the world." Another pregnant pause lingers between them for a moment before there's the click of a door opening. James looks up to see a pair of green eyes glowing like fireflies from inside the crack in the door.

"I'm going to save the world?" she asks, curious.

James nods, giving her a gentle smile as he motioned for her to join him. When she refuses to come out, he ends up joining her. The two sit on the floor of the small space, the only light coming from all the green of Penny's eyes and clothes. James tells Penny about his adventures growing up, being in the military, and travelling Remnant. She stares at him, smiling in wonder as she absorbed every word.

"Someday," he concludes, "you're going to save Remnant. You're going to protect the world."

"Is the world in danger now?" she asks.

James wonders if he should be telling her this. He knows there are some things that he's not supposed to share. Things Ozpin would frown upon him sharing with anyone outside of the other headmasters, Glynda, and Qrow.

But this was Penny. This robot-

No. This _young lady_ is going to be their key to victory.

"Yes, Penny. There's a great evil coming. When it comes...it'll be your job to defeat it."

"Alone?" she asks worriedly.

"No, not alone," he assures her. "I'll be there. I promise."

Penny smiles and rests her head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

James is caught off guard at this, but smiles and wraps an arm around her. "You're welcome."

Once Penny falls asleep, he carries her back to the lab to her bed. Dr. Polendina asks where he found her. James says the second floor, deciding it was best to let her have her little hiding spot stay a secret. He spends the rest of the night talking to the Doctor about how to move forward with Penny's training so she doesn't feel so pressured.

_The poor girl has a great weight on her shoulders after all._

 

o0()0o

 

Penny is leaving the lab for the first time.

For nearly six months since her reawakening, she's been exhibiting more and more behaviors that remind James of who Penny once was. She's incredibly curious, very strong, and very kind. She is very bright, but because of the programming of the robotic body, she doesn't process things in the same fashion as Penelope did.

But James doesn't mind. Penny was unique in her own way, to the point where he accepts that she was a different person.

And the General is becoming quite attached to said person.

This weekend, they decided it would be best Penny had time away from the lab so she could get used to life in Remnant. James has offered to take her home after doing some prep work. He uses his vacation days and spends the whole week cleaning the entire house, getting a charging bed installed, decorating the rooms. He wants Penny to feel welcome, and he hadn't exactly made his house look very much like a home in a long time.

But now that there are guests coming, James wants to make it perfect.

And for it to be perfect, James put all the pictures of Penelope in a box and stored it in his personal safe just an hour before Penny arrived.

_She has enough to worry about. No need for her to learn the truth about where her soul came from right now._

James welcomes her into his home, giving her a tour and letting her explore to her heart's content. She runs up and down the stairs, looks at all the remaining photos on the shelves and walls, and lets out a boisterous "Sen-Sational!" at the sight of her room.

But what really draws her eye is the structure in the back yard.

There in the far corner, standing bold and proud, is a great and mighty oak tree with two swings on the branches. One has two ropes and a padded seat, while the other is a simple tire left over from James' minivan from twenty years ago.

"What's that?" she asks.

James fondly stares at the swing, a pained smile on his face. "That's a swing set. You sit on the seat and move back and forth."

"Can I try it?"

"Sure. You can try it."

Penny smiles and bolts out to the tree, sitting on the padded seat as James hurries to join her. She pouts, confused as to why it isn't working.

"Here, let me," James chuckles. He steps behind her and gives her a slight push. "Kick your legs as you move forward."

"Okay."

Penny kicks, and the motion sends her forward slightly. The gasp of excitement she emits warms James' heart. She calls out for him to keep going. She wants to go higher and faster. Soon he's unable to keep up with her and has to step back. James sits on the tire swing and watches Penny fly.

_This is going to be a great weekend._

 

o0()0o

 

Penny staying at his house has become a common occurrence in the next three months. Every time, Penny explores the house. James takes to hiding trinkets around the house for her to locate. It's an entertaining game to play when they aren't enjoying reading or the swings.

But one day, something different happens. James is working on sorting through all the enrollment paperwork for the new students, constantly pushing the half-moon glasses back up on his nose with his middle and pointer finger every so often. Penny is looking around the home office, taking in everything since she never came into this room before now.

"Mr. Ironwood? Who is this?"

James looks up from his paperwork as Penny stares at the photo on the shelf. The woman in the photo has bright green eyes, freckles, and a darker shade of red hair than Penny's.

_I completely forgot about that one. How could I forget that was there?_

"That," he stutters. "That's my wife, Vanessa."

"Your wife?" Penny asks.

"Yes."

"I did not know you were married, sir. Does she not live here with you?"

James bites his lower lip, trying to keep from breaking. "No, Penny. She's...she's dead."

Penny looks at him in confusion, head tilted to the left. "Dead?"

"Yes."

Penny walks over to the empty chair and sits down, arms folded in a defensive manner. "What happened to her?"

James sighs and sets down his work, removing the half-moon glasses from his face. "She was an officer, like me. She went on a mission and never came back. She died saving people."

"I see," Penny mutters, pulling her feet up to her chest. "Am I going to die saving the world?"

"You won't," he lies. "I promise."

It's an empty promise. He knows this. There was always a chance. No matter who it is, there is always a chance that someone would die on a mission to save Remnant. It happened to Vanessa. It almost happened to him. It happened to...to...

_How long has it been since I've thought of Penelope?_

"Mr. Ironwood?"

James snaps out of his thoughts. "Penny?"

"I uh...I didn't mean to make you upset, sir. I just-"

"No, Penny," he assures. "I'm not upset. It's just...I haven't really thought about my family in a while is all..."

"Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.

"I'm fine, Penny." He stands from the desk, holding out his hand to her and giving her the usual grin he has when she visits. "Come on. Let's go play some games. I gave a new one you might enjoy."

"A game?"

"Yes. It's Remnant: The Game. Come on."

 

o0()0o

 

The Vytal Festival Tournament is coming up.

Penny wants to go.

Dr. Polendina doesn't want her to.

James understands. Like himself, the Doctor loves her so much he can't bear to see her come to harm. He gives James every excuse in the book. Her wiring is faulty. She can't use her jetpack setting. Her targeting parameters are out of sync. All lies, based on her last update.

In the end, it comes down to one thing.

"Promise me," Polendina stresses. "Promise me you will protect her."

James swears on his life that Penny will be safe, and that he will protect her.

When the time comes for them to head out to Vale, Penny is ecstatic. She's given a team of students to fight with in the tournament, spending money, and words of encouragement from Dr. Polendina.

Watching them interact, James can tell Polendina sees Penny as his own.

They depart for Vale, and Penny insists on taking a photo with James to keep on his scroll. He's reluctant, but agrees and smiles as genuinely as possible for the camera as he and Penny move in close for the shot. When they look at the photo, Penny asks if he'll print it out for her. He agrees to do so, and even offers to frame it for her. It was a really nice photo, he had to admit.

He sets it as his scroll's background.

 

o0()0o

 

Day one in Vale, and already Penny has made a group of friends.

She spends all night talking about her friends Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. She talks about how nice of a person Ruby is, and how interesting her team is, and how they're all going to fight in the tournament.

Day Two, and Penny is running all over town trying to find them.

It's not until Day Three that James is starting to wonder if Polendina was right.

Penny has gotten into an altercation with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. There are others involved. Penny's new friends. The police are talking to them when he pulls up in the car. He asks the officers to bring Penny back to him.

"Time to go Penny," he sighs as she gets into the car. "You should know better than to go running around in a strange city."

"I know sir," she mutters sadly, staring at her feet. "I just wanted to help my new friends. They were in danger, and I had to save them...It's going to be my job to save the world, so doesn't that also mean them as well?"

"Of course it does, Penny," he tells her. "Your time will come... But for now...I don't want you interacting with other students outside your new team. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

It breaks his heart to do this to her. But he knows if he doesn't, she'll end up hurt. Or worse.

And after what happened to Autumn, what happened to...to _her._ He can't chance it.

James can't let Penny get hurt.

 

o0()0o

 

Penny has been running around again. She claims she hasn't, but James knows. The hiccups give it away as she attempts to prove otherwise while he applies the replacement covering for her hands.

"Penny, you can't keep running off and getting into trouble."

"But I want to see the world!" she exclaims. "I want to make friends! I want to be like other girls my age!"

"You're not like other girls, Penny," he sighs. "You're special. That's why we're working so hard to keep you safe."

"But Mr. Ironwood, I want to do what normal girls do. Even just for a little while. Can't I? Please?"

"Penny-"

"There's a dance coming up at Beacon. I want to go and be normal. Please?"

James looks into her eyes. Her bright, green eyes. He wants to be stern. He wants to say no, because it's too dangerous. He wants to send her back home.

But he can't bring himself to say no to that face.

"I suppose," he relents, "you can go for a few hours. But only if you stick with your body guards."

"Sen-Sational!" she cheers, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you, Mr. Ironwood!"

James feels another crack in his heart, but turns back to the repairs.

_If Penny is going to the dance, she can't go without skin._

 

o0()0o

 

 _Shine_ is now Penny's favorite song.

She's constantly dancing to it in her room, much to her team's chagrin. Her guards think it's adorable.

James agrees, but can't help but feel saddened.

_She's growing up far too fast._

 

o0()0o

 

Team PNCL aren't exactly the most cohesive unit, but they get along well enough that James is certain they'll make it to the doubles. It was just a matter if they can make it to the singles.

James wants to focus his attention on Penny and her team. He wants to talk to her like they did back home. But things are getting shady in Vale. Grimm activity is increasing. Qrow has come back from his latest mission early.

Qrow _never_ comes back early.

He tries to remain calm and focuses on the objective at hand.

He needs to deal with Winter now that the meeting with Ozpin is done. He needs to look through his lists of students. He needs to-

"Mr. Ironwood?"

James nearly jumps when he turns to see Penny, arms close to her chest and fingers twirling about in nervous shakes. "Penny, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to ask...for help."

"Help?"

"Under my hat."

James looks and sees the hat on her head. Confused, he takes it off and has to bite back laughter.

There on her head was a small black magnet the shape of a circle.

"How did this get there?" he asks.

"I don't know-hic!"

"Come on. I have tools to remove it."

"Thank you, father."

James' eyes fly open wide as the color drains from his face. "P-pardon?"

"I-I mean, thank you Mr. Ironwood!" Penny corrects. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-hic!"

James bites his tongue and just brushes it off. He can't be her father now, even if Penny seems to want him too.

He can't even just be "Mr. Ironwood" for her.

He has to be the General now.

 

o0()0o

 

Penny has made it to the singles round.

James doesn't have time to celebrate with her.

It's time to approach their new Fall Maiden.

 

o0()0o

 

Penny is distraught.

Yang is under dorm-arrest for her excessive force against Mercury. James assures her that Yang isn't going to jail like the students are saying. But Team RWBY is disqualified. She tells him she understands, but it's pretty clear she wanted to be able to face Yang in the singles.

Penny puts on a brave face, as does James.

It's time for James to inform Team RWBY of the decision.

 

o0()0o

 

Penny is chosen for the match tonight.

She's going up against Pyrrha Nikos.

This was going to be an interesting match. A real chance to see how Penny can handle herself against someone as talented as The Invincible Girl.

And at first, he's right. It is an interesting fight.

But not because Penny is doing well.

It was because Pyrrha was not.

_She's stumbling. She's not focusing. She's-_

She's disarmed.

Penny sends her swords forward.

Pyrrha blasts them back.

And time stops.

James' eyes widen in fear for but a moment as he watches helplessly from the stands. There's the sound of screams from the crowd, the crunch of metal, and lingering sense of fear.

Penny falls to pieces, and James feels what little of his heart he has left begin to crack as a voice booms over the live feed.

**_"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident."_ **

There is no time to mourn.

No time to reclaim her body.

The enemy is on the move.

James has a job to do.

 

o0()0o

 

Beacon had fallen. Pyrrha Nikos was murdered. Ozpin was gone. Yang had lost her arm, Atlas had lost its standing in the world as a peaceful nation.

James had lost a friend. Polendina refused to talk to him once he returned to Atlas. James didn't blame him. It was far too understandable why. James had promised to protect Penny. He had broken that promise, and was reminded of that every time he went back home.

Photos of Penny were hung in various parts of his house, mixed in with photos of his lost love and daughter, friends and comrades. Everyone he had ever let into his heart. He rarely went back to the house anymore because of this, but he couldn't bring himself to take the photos down again.

He no longer wore his Specialists uniform. Too many memories attached to it. He started wearing the more "professional" long tailcoat suit that the Council had been wanting him to wear for years now.  
He stopped keeping in contact with Glynda.

Taiyang was his only lead to Qrow's whereabouts. The bastard was on his way to Anima it seemed.

 _It doesn't matter,_ he told himself. Without Ozpin, they had no real motivation to keep in contact.

He checked in on Weiss every so often for Winter. It was nice having a friend in the Schnee family Butler.

James buried himself in his work, trying hard to move forward.

 

o0()0o

 

James stormed into the house late that night. Keeping his composure during that party took too much out of him. He wanted to just avoid it all together.

But he was glad he didn't. If he had, he wouldn't have seen that breakdown Weiss had.

**_"You don't have a clue! None of you do!"_ **

Someone had finally said what he was feeling. Something he wanted to say for years but never did. He was happy someone said it. He was happy that the man he was forced to be friends with finally got some of the embarrassment he was due.

James was relieved there was a person in Atlas who understood how it felt to be there after Atlas' fall from grace.

And yet there was an unending feeling of dread in his gut. Something festering and growing that had been there for decades.

And he didn't want to be alone with these thoughts and feelings.

He decided to call Polendina.

 

o0()0o

 

Polendina was his friend again. The two of them talked every night while looking at the photos of the green eyed angel they cared about so much.

They talked about the project moving forward.

They decided not to. Not just yet.

It was a hard topic to talk about. The project, the Fall, Beacon, Penny...all of it wore on his mind.

But James didn't mind. It helped the Doctor cope. That was fine.

Until that night when Polendina made the one off comment about a possible P.E.N.N.Y. #2.

_"Next time, we'll make the body stronger. I came up with a new structure that won't crumble and break by her own strings-"_

James felt the world around him vanish for a moment, replaced by a stadium of students and spectators, the shocked faces, and the sight of an innocent little girl laying in four cleanly cut pieces as her unintentional killer fell to her knees in shock.

The screaming started again.

And that was the last straw.

Without thinking, James had hung up the phone and shut down everything in his home. He locked all the doors and windows, closed all the curtains, and ripped open the door to his liquor safe. He had to get the damn thing installed the day Ozpin let him into their little secret war. Qrow had given him a case full of a special brand of whiskey of his own design. James had distributed it amongst his fellow officers over the past few years.

There was only one bottle in there now, but that was enough.

James reached in and pulled out the bottle, admiring the decorative corvid on the label and the amber glass that held the alcohol.

_Amber. The Fall Maiden is dying._

James pulled out the cork, letting the scent of spices burn his nose like fresh embers on the campfire as he raised it to his lips.

_Burning. Fire. Crashing. Someone is taking my ship._

Down the flaming liquid went, burning his throat as he tilted his head back. Down, down, down it went.

_Fire. Gunfire. Grimm. Large Grimm. Small Grimm. White Fang. Atlesian Paladins. All attacking._

The bottle was one-fourth down.

_Children scrambling to escape. Everyone is screaming. People dying._

Halfway gone.

_Penny is lying there dead. No, it's Penelope just barely holding on. No, it's Penny. Penelope. Penny-_

The bottle was three quarters of the way down when James stopped drinking and threw the bottle against the wall with a roar of anger, knocking several photographs down to the floor. Glass shattered and the remaining whiskey splashed all over the pictures, including the label from the bottle. Drops of liquid rolled down the cheeks of Penny and the crow on the label, making them seem as though they were shedding tears.

James slumped to the floor and pounded his fists to the floor, leaving dents in the hardwood surface as he wailed. He screamed, salt hitting his tongue as water fell to the ground. Years of pent up sorrow spilled over that night and James felt what little love he didn't realize he still had left in him begin to implode on itself.

"Give them back!" he bellowed. "Give them back! They didn't deserve this! Give them back to me, dammit!"

James continued to cry and scream until he passed out. The whiskey and the tears promised one hell of a morning to come.

But James didn't care anymore.

 

o0()0o

 

_Unknown to the world, James Ironwood had a family._

_Unknown to the world, James Ironwood was a single father._

_Unknown to those around him, James Ironwood had two daughters. They were sweet young girls no older than seventeen named Penelope and Penny. Their hair was a lovely ginger hue, curly and tied back with a soft pink ribbon. Their eyes greener than the Emerald Forest and freckles all across their cheeks. They were strong, swift, and incredibly curious. And also terrible liars, getting the hiccups due to nerves when they found themselves on the verge of not telling the truth._

_But both were taken from him, were taken away by the unforgiving World of Remnant._

_James Ironwood had a family._

_James Ironwood was a single father._

_James Ironwood had two little girls he loved with all his heart._

_And now, he was all alone._

**Author's Note:**

> So, if we get any showing of Dr. Polendina in the actual canon, I might rewrite this and/or make one from his point of view too.  
> I had a lot of fun writing this one.  
> I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.


End file.
